U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning began a hunger strike in military prison Friday, her attorneys confirmed.

“I need help. I am not getting any,” Manning wrote in a statement. “I was driven to suicide by the lack of care for my gender dysphoria that I have been desperate for. I didn’t get any. I still haven’t gotten any.”

WikiLeaks’ Assange Offers to Go to Prison in Exchange for Chelsea Manning Pardon

On Thursday morning WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange tweeted that if US President Barack Obama would grant clemency to imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea Manning, Assange would turn himself over to the US government for imprisonment, “despite its clear unlawfulness.”

U.S. | Fri Sep 23, 2016 | 11:05am EDTChelsea Manning to be sent to solitary confinement for suicide try

By David Ingram | NEW YORK
U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning, serving 35 years in prison for passing classified files to WikiLeaks, was ordered to spend 14 days in solitary confinement as punishment for attempting suicide and keeping a banned book in her cell, supporters said.

A disciplinary board at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, military prison where Manning is being held informed her of the decision after a hearing on Thursday, according to a statement released on Friday by Fight for the Future, a group supporting her.
Manning said in the statement that she could appeal the punishment and that seven days of it would be suspended provided she stays out of trouble for six months. There was no set date for the discipline to start, she said.
"I am feeling hurt. I am feeling lonely. I am embarrassed by the decision. I don't know how to explain it," Manning said.

The Chelsea Manning Support Network writes, "Chelsea has missed three planned calls so we are worried about her and so far we don't know why. The support network can be reached at staff@chelseamanning.org."

Officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, SEAL Team 6 is today the most celebrated of the U.S. military’s special mission units. But hidden behind the heroic narratives is a darker, more troubling story of “revenge ops,” unjustified killings, mutilations, and other atrocities — a pattern of criminal violence that emerged soon after the Afghan war began and was tolerated and covered up by the command’s leadership.

Hmmm strange, how Chelsea Manning is reported as missing when Amnesty International step up their campaign on her behalf.
This I know because I myself am actively involved with Amnesty and Beccy Dallison who has been vocal on Chelsea's behalf I spoke with only this week.

Chelsea Manning reportedly on President Obama’s “short list” for Commutation

Hundreds of thousands of petition signers, dozens of LGBTQ and human rights organizations have condemned U.S. government’s treatment of Chelsea, called for her release

NBC News is reporting that Chelsea Manning, who has served 7 years of a 35 year sentence, is on President Obama’s “short list” for commutation.

Chelsea Manning’s attorney at the ACLU, Chase Strangio, said:

“The Obama administration has done many commendable things to protect the rights of LGBTQ people, but in the case of Chelsea Manning they have systematically mistreated her and denied her access to medically recommended gender-related health care. Chelsea won’t survive another 5 years in prison, much less another 30. President Obama has 9 days to do the right thing and commute her sentence. The world is watching, and we hope that he stands on the side of justice, and that his legacy will be one of standing up for trans people’s rights, not having extinguished one of our community’s brightest lights.”

Chelsea’s Appellate Counsels Nancy Hollander and Vincent Ward said:

“As Chelsea’s appellate counsel we urge President Obama to act now and commute her sentence to time served. Her appeal will take years. It is past time to start caring for a Soldier who stood up for all of us.”

Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, said:

“Chelsea Manning is a compassionate, thoughtful, brilliant human being whose actions have always been motivated by the same thing: her desire to help people and make the world a better place. She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it’s too late.”

If the NBC News report is accurate and President Obama moves to commute Manning’s sentence, he will be responding to overwhelming public outcry about Chelsea’s mistreatment while incarcerated.

More than 100,000 people signed an official Whitehouse.gov petition, meeting the threshold to require a response from the President.

Hundreds of thousands have signed previous petitions organized by Fight for the Future and other groups decrying Chelsea’s treatment while in prison

The ACLU and more than a dozen prominent LGBT organizations sent a letter to President Obama calling for Chelsea’s commutation

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings,
But mercy is above this sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings.

“I’m relieved and thankful that the president is doing the right thing and commuting Chelsea Manning’s sentence,” said Chase Strangio, an attorney with the ACLU representing Manning, in a statement. “Since she was first taken into custody, Chelsea has been subjected to long stretches of solitary confinement — including for attempting suicide — and has been denied access to medically necessary health care. This move could quite literally save Chelsea’s life, and we are all better off knowing that Chelsea Manning will walk out of prison a free woman, dedicated to making the world a better place and fighting for justice for so many.”

...the story of Chelsea Manning is more complicated than the crime she committed, as Alex Gibney’s first-rate documentary We Steal Secrets vividly portrays. The power of clemency was designed to empower the President to make precisely the fine moral distinctions that say that one should not forgive Manning’s crime but that she should not serve the full term of a horrifically long sentence. We have watched this case for years, through the lens of national security, but at the end of the day, we think her sentence should be commuted for many of the same reasons that drive Gibney’s evident sympathy with her in the film: This is one of those cases where justice requires course correction.

President Obama apparently agrees, and he deserves credit for taking what may be a political risk in his last week in office to translate that instinct into a reality.

Obama has commuted hundreds of sentences, as have previous presidents. By definition, these are acts of mercy that explicitly reduce a sentence imposed by the justice system. His commutation of Manning's sentence is no more a big FU to the military justice system than his other commutations are big FUs to the civilian justice system.

What's more, there are several reasons to believe that Manning deserves this show of mercy. She released only low-level documents, not top secret ones. She was clearly in a good deal of mental distress when she did it. And she pleaded guilty to most of the charges and apologized publicly for her actions.

The biggest disconnect between those who approve of her commutation and those who don't is undoubtedly a simple difference of opinion about how serious her crimes were. But there's another disconnect that's less obvious because so many of us barely even notice it anymore: the United States is a wild outlier when it comes to the length of prison sentences. Manning was sentenced to 45 years in prison. A lot of people will shrug when they read that, but it's insane by any kind of global standard. We hand out 15 and 20-year sentences like candy in America, while the rest of the world considers 5-10 years a severe sentence for anyone short of a serial killer.

Chelsea Manning will end up spending seven years in prison. By any non-crazy standard, that's a very long sentence considering the circumstances of Manning's crime. I don't believe she was wrongly convicted — no government can possibly allow a soldier to expose a massive trove of state secrets without punishment — but I do believe that seven years is enough. Let it rest.

“I’m relieved and thankful that the president is doing the right thing and commuting Chelsea Manning’s sentence,” said Chase Strangio, an attorney with the ACLU representing Manning, in a statement. “Since she was first taken into custody, Chelsea has been subjected to long stretches of solitary confinement — including for attempting suicide — and has been denied access to medically necessary health care. This move could quite literally save Chelsea’s life, and we are all better off knowing that Chelsea Manning will walk out of prison a free woman, dedicated to making the world a better place and fighting for justice for so many.”

...the story of Chelsea Manning is more complicated than the crime she committed, as Alex Gibney’s first-rate documentary We Steal Secrets vividly portrays. The power of clemency was designed to empower the President to make precisely the fine moral distinctions that say that one should not forgive Manning’s crime but that she should not serve the full term of a horrifically long sentence. We have watched this case for years, through the lens of national security, but at the end of the day, we think her sentence should be commuted for many of the same reasons that drive Gibney’s evident sympathy with her in the film: This is one of those cases where justice requires course correction.

President Obama apparently agrees, and he deserves credit for taking what may be a political risk in his last week in office to translate that instinct into a reality.

Obama has commuted hundreds of sentences, as have previous presidents. By definition, these are acts of mercy that explicitly reduce a sentence imposed by the justice system. His commutation of Manning's sentence is no more a big FU to the military justice system than his other commutations are big FUs to the civilian justice system.

What's more, there are several reasons to believe that Manning deserves this show of mercy. She released only low-level documents, not top secret ones. She was clearly in a good deal of mental distress when she did it. And she pleaded guilty to most of the charges and apologized publicly for her actions.

The biggest disconnect between those who approve of her commutation and those who don't is undoubtedly a simple difference of opinion about how serious her crimes were. But there's another disconnect that's less obvious because so many of us barely even notice it anymore: the United States is a wild outlier when it comes to the length of prison sentences. Manning was sentenced to 45 years in prison. A lot of people will shrug when they read that, but it's insane by any kind of global standard. We hand out 15 and 20-year sentences like candy in America, while the rest of the world considers 5-10 years a severe sentence for anyone short of a serial killer.

Chelsea Manning will end up spending seven years in prison. By any non-crazy standard, that's a very long sentence considering the circumstances of Manning's crime. I don't believe she was wrongly convicted — no government can possibly allow a soldier to expose a massive trove of state secrets without punishment — but I do believe that seven years is enough. Let it rest.

Chelsea Manning: to those who kept me alive all these years, thank you

When I was afraid, you taught me how to keep going. When I was lost, you showed me the way

By Chelsea E Manning, The Guardian

Quote:

To those who have kept me alive for the past six years: minutes after President Obama announced the commutation of my sentence, the prison quickly moved me out of general population and into the restrictive housing unit where I am now held. I know that we are now physically separated, but we will never be apart and we are not alone. Recently, one of you asked me “Will you remember me?” I will remember you. How could I possibly forget? You taught me lessons I would have never learned otherwise.

When I was afraid, you taught me how to keep going. When I was lost, you showed me the way. When I was numb, you taught me how to feel. When I was angry, you taught me how to chill out. When I was hateful, you taught me how to be compassionate. When I was distant, you taught me how to be close. When I was selfish, you taught me how to share.

Sometimes, it took me a while to learn many things. Other times, I would forget, and you would remind me.

We were friends in a way few will ever understand. There was no room to be superficial. Instead, we bared it all. We could hide from our families and from the world outside, but we could never hide from each other.

We argued, we bickered and we fought with each other. Sometimes, over absolutely nothing. But, we were always a family. We were always united.

When the prison tried to break one of us, we all stood up. We looked out for each other. When they tried to divide us, and systematically discriminated against us, we embraced our diversity and pushed back. But, I also learned from all of you when to pick my battles. I grew up and grew connected because of the community you provided.

Those outside of prison may not believe that we act like human beings under these conditions. But of course we do. And we build our own networks of survival.

I never would have made it without you. Not only did you teach me these important lessons, but you made sure I felt cared for. You were the people who helped me to deal with the trauma of my regular haircuts. You were the people who checked on me after I tried to end my life. You were the people that played fun games with me. Who wished me a Happy Birthday. We shared the holidays together. You were and will always be family.

For many of you, you are already free and living outside of the prison walls. Many of you will come home soon. Some of you still have many years to go.

The most important thing that you taught me was how to write and how to speak in my own voice. I used to only know how to write memos. Now, I write like a human being, with dreams, desires and connections. I could not have done it without you.

From where I am now, I still think of all of you. When I leave this place in May, I will still think of all of you. And to anyone who finds themselves feeling alone behind bars, know that there is a network of us who are thinking of you. You will never be forgotten.

For the past seven years, Chelsea has been incarcerated. She survived solitary confinement, systemic denial of health care and years of being separated from her friends and community. Through it all she has remained a steadfast voice for liberty and justice and an inspiration to so many. We now have a chance to show our appreciation for all that she has given us.

Following the commutation of her 35 year sentence, Chelsea will head home to Maryland on May 17, 2017 and we, her closest friends and family, are raising money to meet her survival needs.

Pvt. Chelsea Manning, the Army soldier who was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison for giving classified materials to WikiLeaks, said Wednesday that she’s excited about what lies ahead, just hours after she walked free after serving seven years behind bars.

“I’m figuring things out right now — which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me,” 29-year-old Manning said in an emailed statement hours after being released from a lockup at Kansas’ Fort Leavenworth.

Manning later took to social networking, posting photos of her lunch — “So, (I’m) already enjoying my first hot, greasy pizza,” she declared of the slice of pepperoni — and her feet in tennis shoes, captioning that her “First steps of freedom!!”

Manning’s immediate plans, including living arrangements, remained unclear. Manning tweeted after then-President Barack Obama granted her clemency in January that she planned to move to Maryland, where she has an aunt. Manning originally comes from Crescent, Oklahoma.

“After another anxious four months of waiting, the day has finally arrived,” Manning said in Wednesday’s statement. “I am looking forward to so much! Whatever is ahead of me is far more important than the past.”

Manning, who is transgender and was known as Bradley Manning before she transitioned in prison, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video. She said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military’s disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn’t believe would harm the U.S.

Comments:
Welcome home, Chelsea. Thank you for your courage and persistence. Thank you for having the courage to become your true self. Thank you for having the courage to stay alive. Wishing you safety, love, and joy. And hot, greasy pizzas

Proceeds from a little shindig we had in your honor tonight to buy you a pizza. Hope you can get some good beach/hiking time in this summer <3

Chelsea, I wish you all the best as you reclaim your remarkable life!! You are an inspiration and hero to so many of us...thank you!!

Go with God. You have your entire life ahead of you. The years of the locust will be restored. You will live in the land of milk and honey. Thank you for your courage.

Thank you Chelsea for sacrificing so much for us. History will see you as the hero that you are and it will judge those who treated you unfairly.

http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/05/chelsea-mannings-instagram-is-the-best-thing-online.html
"She’s already posted two photos, and they’re, by a long shot, the most cheering and positive things on the internet in months. Even just the sheer, boring normalcy of them is more gratifying than one might expect. The first is of her “[f]irst steps of freedom!! .”
"Maybe most gratifying of all are the uniformly positive, congratulatory comments. It’s just really nice."

The internet is an increasingly nasty and dark place — the MAGA Nazis empowered by Trump's rise to power, leftists and liberals tearing one another apart, the nonstop stream of cyberbullying that's become so commonplace it feels mundane. But among the utter darkness of the Trump-era internet, Chelsea Manning is a beam of light.

<snipped>

...Manning gets more shit online than you could possibly imagine, and also knows how to handle it with more grace than most. She is always kind, but that doesn't mean she isn't cutting. Why own the trolls when you can educate them?

Prosecutors said WikiLeaks' disclosures about Iraq and Afghanistan posed a major threat to US national security. But it turns out the classified document they cited — newly obtained by BuzzFeed News — said almost the exact opposite.

Her ‘Whole Story’: How I Landed an Exclusive Interview With Chelsea Manning | The New York Times

For someone just eight days out of prison, Ms. Manning was a remarkably voluble interview subject. I learned to admire the courage with which she was able to address her most painful memories, from her early struggles with gender identity to her suicide attempts at the military prison — and only once did she have to stand up and ask for a minute to compose herself. As she reminded me, for seven years she hadn’t been able to tell her “whole story,” and now that she could, the words were whistling out in a torrent.

(Reuters) - Harvard University on Friday withdrew a fellowship invitation to Chelsea Manning, the transgender U.S. Army soldier who was convicted of leaking classified data, after two leaders in the U.S. intelligence community distanced themselves from the school.

Manning, 29, was released in May from a U.S. military prison in Kansas where she had been held for passing secrets to the WikiLeaks website in the biggest breach of classified data in the history of the United States.

The Harvard Kennedy School of government announced on Wednesday that it had invited the controversial figure to be a visiting fellow and speak at a forum.

The invitation to speak still stands, Harvard Kennedy Dean Douglas Elmendorf said in a statement.
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